Scandals and Controversies That Shook The 90s

The 90s were a wild time to be alive. For all of the prosperity in the United States there was also an unending amount of surreal controversy seemingly every other day. Shocking affairs, double homicides, real life courtroom dramas, you name it and it happened. Whether you were glued to the National Enquirer in the 90s or just heard these stories in passing, these are the moments that changed culture forever.

If there’s one scandal from the 90s that reshaped the world in its image it’s the O.J. Simpson trial. In 1994, the former NFL running back, was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Most Americans were alerted to this insane news via the hours-long police chase led by Simpson in that famous white Bronco, but the story continued for years as audiences remained captivated by the rankings behemoth that was the televised trial. The O.J. Simpson case made us debate race, justice, and celebrity privilege even at the highest levels of crime. Simpson’s acquittal divided the public and created a media circus that changed how we see high profile crimes to this day.

In 1995, Hugh Grant’s squeaky-clean image took a huge hit when he was arrested for engaging in lewd conduct with a sex worker in Los Angeles – in public .At the time, Grant was in a truly enviable relationship with model and actress Elizabeth Hurley, making this scandal all the more mind boggling. As embarrassing as this scandal was at the time, Grant managed to pull himself out of it by charm alone when he made a public apology on The Tonight Show.

Hoo buddy this is a doozy. The affair between President Clinton and then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky not only pushed politics into the realm of entertainment, but it pushed partisan politics to the extreme in the 90s. The affair, which lasted for two years but had lasting ramifications, dominated the news cycle and led to Clinton’s impeachment trial. While Clinton more or less made his way out of this scandal unscathed, Lewisnky spent decades as the butt of terrible, misogynistic jokes. The whole thing was a losing situation for the American public, as we’ll never be able to look at the highest office in the country with the same kind of respect again.

In the early 90s Michael Jackson wasn’t just the King of Pop, he was the most famous person in the world. Full stop. That came crashing down over the course of the decade as he faced multiple allegations of abuse against children. The allegations created a firestorm in the media, ruining the reputations of the young men who spoke out against Jackson, and of course of Jackson himself who became more and more unhinged as the decade wore on. Jackson denied the accusations, and he was never convicted, but the sheer amount of allegations were enough to affect his legacy to this day.

This may have happened in 2001 but we’ve got to talk about how the world was shook when Winona Ryder of all people was arrested for shoplifting. If you don’t remember, Ryder was caught red handed stealing a little over $5,000 worth of random stuff from Saks Fifth Avenue. Already weird, the case went into hyperdrive when prosecutors filed felony charges against the star for theft, grand larceny, and burglary while trying to stick her with additional drug charges. Ryder was sentenced to three years of probation in December 2002, as well as 480 hours of community service and thousands of dollars in fines as well as restitution to Saks Fifth Avenue. After all was said and done, Ryder’s felony charges were reduced to misdemeanors, and the star blamed the medication she was taking at the time.

In one of the most shocking crimes of the 20th century, Lyle and Erik Menendez brutally murdered their parents in their Beverly Hills Home in 1989. They spent the early 90s on trial in one of the most extensively covered cases of the decade. The brothers claim that they suffered years of abuse at the hands of their father, and that they believed there was no way out of the cycle of abuse unless they took his life. The televised trial was packed with gruesome details and enough drama to fuel multiple shows about the brothers in recent years. Today, the brothers are still behind bars but hoping to be released in the not too distant future.

Heidi Fleiss, otherwise known as the “Hollywood Madam,” became a mainstream to-do in 1993 when she was arrested for running a high-end ring of sex workers that specifically catered to the stars of the day. Fleiss refused to name names in her case, and eventually was convicted on federal tax evasion charges in 1996. Fleiss was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, where she served nine months before she was released to a halfway house.

The murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. in 1996 and 1997, respectively, remain two of the most upsetting crimes of the decade. These two once in a generation talents were wiped out over an East Coast vs West Coast rap rivalry brewing since the late 80s that blew out of proportion in the early 90s. The loss of any life is tragic, but the importance of these men to the Black community can’t be understated. To this day there are questions as to who pulled the trigger on both of these artists, with new conspiracy theories popping up all the time.

When Sinead O’Connor appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1992, she ended her performance of Bob Marley’s “War” by ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II and stating, “Fight the real enemy,” to the camera. Intended as a protest against the widespread abuse carried out and covered up by the Catholic Church, O’Connor was immediately banned from further appearing on NBC and to add insult to injury she was pelted with eggs as she left 30 Rock following her performance.

Who expects controversy at a ball game? Definitely not the folks who showed up to San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium to watch the Padres face off with the Cincinnati Reds on July 25, 1990. Performing the “Star Spangled Banner” that evening was none other than TV sensation Roseanne Barr who belted out a brutally satirical performance of the song complete with vocal tics and screeching. The whole thing ended with Barr grabbing herself and spitting on the field, leading to a national outcry against the star. Before this moment everyone was on Barr’s side, but from the moment she finished “singing” at the Padres game the tide turned on the comedian and it’s never really changed directions.